Multiple-needle guard.



J.' H. MOFFAH MULTIPLE NEEDLE GUARD.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. l5, I915.

'Patmited Aug. 20, 1918 5 sh ns-shin 1..

' J. 'R. MOFFATT.

MULTIPLE NEEDLE GUARD. APPLICATION man 05c. 15. {915.

1,276,393. M V PatemedAug.20,1918.

5SHEETS-SHEET 2.

J. R. MOFFATT.

MULTIPLE NEEDLE GUARD.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. as, 1913.

Patented Aug. 20, 1918.

5 SHEETSSHEET 5.

' JAMES 33,. MOFFAT T QF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO UNION SPECIAL MACHINE I COMPANY, or cHIoAGo, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION or rumors.

MULTIPLE-NEEDLE GUARD.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that'lf, JAMES R. MOFFATT,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in MultiplefNeedle Guards, of which the following is zgdescription', reference beinghad to the accompanying drawing and to the figures of reference marked thereon.

The invention relates to new and useful improvements in needle guards for sewing machines. Multiple guards for needles have been used prior to this invention; said multiple guards consisting of a guarding section on'the same side of the needle as the looper which prevents the needle from being defiected into the path'of the looper and a guardingsection on the'opposite side of the needle which prevents the needle from being deflected so that the looper will skip the needle loop.- h lultiple'guards of the above character have been used more particularly in connection with non-thread carrying loopers and also in multiple needle machines.

An object of the present invention is toprovide a multiple needle guard of the above character which may be adj usted to properly position the sections of the needle guard relative to the; needle. i

A further object of the invention is to provide a needle guard of the above character which may be adjusted for different sized needles.

A. still further object of the invention is to provide means for simultaneously adjusting similar sections of the needle guards used in the multiple needle machine. These and other objects will in part be obvious and will in part be more fully de-' scribed.

In the drawings Figure l is a view, partly in front elevation and partly in section, showing a.ma chine having my improvements embodied therein; I

Fig. 2 is a side of the feed bar, the-work support overhanging arm being omitted ;v

1 Fig. 3 is a plan view of the parts shown Fig. 2;

Fig. looper carrier showing the needle the loopers mounted thereon Fig. 5 is street view or the same;

transverse sectional view at one and guards and l is an enlarged end view of the loopers removed and an ad shifting the needle guard,

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug, .20, 1918,

Application filed December15, 1915. Serial No. 66,963.

Fig. 6' is a sectional view through the looper carrier showing the manner of mounting the looper -and the adjusting screw for shifting the needle guard;

I Fig. 7 is a view, partly in plan and partly in section, of the looper carrier showing the justing screw for Fig. 8 is an end view of the loopercarrier showing the shiftable needle guards removed; V

Fig. 9 is an end view of the needle'gua-rds;

Fig. 10 is an end view of the looper carrier showing a modified means for adjusting the needle guards on the looper carrier;

Fig. 11 is asectional view through the looper carrier shownin Fig. 10;

V Fig. 12 is a front view of theloo rier shown in Fig. 10;

Fig. 13 is an end view of the looper carrier showing a further modified form of means for adjusting the needle guards;

Fig. 14 is a sectional view on the lin 14-44 of Fig. 13; V

Fig. 15 is a diagrammatic view, showing the relative positions of the looper and the needle guard with one size needle;

Fig. 1 6.is a similar view with a smaller needle and showing the looper andneedle guard adjusted to cooperate therewith; and

F ig. 17jis a view showing the position ofthe needle, the looper just before the point thereof passes the-needle guard .on the opposite side of the needle from the looper.

In a single chain stitch machine wherein the looper is a-non thread carrying looper said looper usually moves back and forth in a single plane entering the needle loop and retaining said needle loopuntil the needle has risen and again descended so that it may enter its own loop held by the looper. -In machines of this character it is essential that per carthe looper point should move close to the shank of the needle when entering the needle loop in order to avoid skipping of needle thread loops and also that the needle should move close to the looper in order that. it may. with certainty enter its own/loop held by the'looper. Prior to this invention, 7

guard prevent the needle from beingdetleeted out of its normal path and from proper cooperation with the looper.

The present invention consists generally in a multiple needle guard of the above character wherein the Sections of the needle guard are capable of relative adjustment so that the needle guard is adapted to properly coiiperate with needles of varying sizes. The invention, from certain other aspects however, is particularly directed. to a mul- -mitting their adjustment.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, I have shown my invention as applied to asewing' machine having a bed plate 1 carrying a standard 2 which terminates in an overhanging arm 3. A needle bar 4 reciprocates in the overhanging arm. A needle lever 5 is connected to the needle bar by. a

link 6 and this needle lever is oscillated by an eccentric strap 7 cobperatinc with an cecentric on the mam shait 8. A Work sup port 9 is carried by the bed plate. As shown in Fi 1 of the drawin s the needle bar is provided with a plurality of needles 12.

- The material to be stitched is held on the work support by a prcsser foot- 13. The material is fed across the work support bya feell dog'll carried by a feed-bar l5.which is raisedand. lowered by an eccentric 16 on the main shaft 8. This feed bar 15 ispivoted to a feed rocker 1.7 which is oscillated by an eccentric strap 18 cooperating with an eccentric on the main shaft 8.

A looper supporting shaft 19 is mounted in brackets 20 and 21 carried by the supporting bed 1 and this looper shaft is oscil- 'lated by a train of mechanism indicated at 22 in Fi 1, from the. main shaft 8. Mounted on the looper shaft is a looper car rier 23. Said carrier may be adjusted endwise of the looper shaft and is held in adjusted position by clamping screws 24. When -a plurality of needles such as indicated at 12, are used, there is a looper 25 for each needle. These loopers are mounted in suitable sockets 2 6-26 formed in the looper carrier 23 and the loopers are held therein by set screws 27. As the main shaft rotates, the looper shatt will be oscillated, the needles will be reciprocated and the loopers carried by the looper shatt'will respectively .enter the needle loops, then remain forward spot-tire loopers.

are integral with the looper carrier.

ot the sections 30 is mounted on a supp0rtwhile the needles are raised and again descend into the needle loops held by the re This operation of the needles and loopers is of the well known character. Cooperating with each needle beneath the work support is a multiple needle guard Each needle guard is composed of two sec tions. one indicated at 29 and the other at Each section '29 is fixedly secured to the looper carrier 23. As a matter of fact, as shown in the drawings. these sections 29 Each ing plate The looper cairier is formed with a recess 32.. see Fig. e in which this plate 31 tits and said plate may be ad justed cndwisc within certain limits. The screws 33 and ill are threaded into looper carrier and the heads of these screws overlie the plate 31 see Figs. l and 7. By turning down said screws the plate 231 may be held in tixedposition on the looper carrier. Saidplate 31 is formed with a notch 35. A screw 36 is threaded into an opening- 37 in the looper-carrier and the head of this screw engages the notch After the screws 33 and Sl have. been loosened, a turn ing of the screw 36 in one direction will move the plate 31 to the right and the turning of this screw 36 in the opposite direction will move the plate to the left.

The sections of the multiple needle guard are located directly underneath the respective loopers25. as shown in 5. Each section 30 has the upper end thpreot cut away at 37, see Figs. 9 and 10 and also the dotted lines shown in Figs. t, (land. 11. The sections 29 of the needle guards are located on the opposite sides of their respective needles from the loopers. This forms a space between the sections 29 and 30 into which the needles move after they pass the loopers. The sections 29 prevent the needles from being deflected away com the loopers and thus prevent the shipping of needle thread loops. The sections 39 prevent the needles from being deflected into the pathof the looper, see Fig.1?

it is sometimes desirable to change the size/of the needle, that is, to change trom a needle having one diameter to a-necdle having a ditl'erent diameter.

In Fig. 15 of the drawings I have shown a needle and'its relation to the looper and the sections 29 and 30 of the needle guard.

In Fig. lGof the drawings, l havesho n the needle changed to a smaller size, in which the diameter of the needle is less. and

have indicated in dotted lines the adjustment of the looper andsections of the needle guard to bring them into proper coiiperative relation to this smaller size needle. I

' After the "needles are inserted first the looper carrier 23 is released from its suportin shaft 19 bv loosenin the screws 2 and the carrier is moved on the shaft until the section 29 of each needle guard is brought into the full line position shown in Fig. 16. cates the previous position of this section 29 of the needle guard. Each looper is released from its holding screw 2? and slightly turned in its supporting socket. to bring the point of the looper to the new position. indicated in full lines at. in Fig. 16. The dotted line position in this figure indicates the previous position of the looper; The screws 33 and 34 are now loosened which releases the plate 31 carrying the sections of the needle guards. The screw 36 is rotated so as to shift this plate and carry the sections30 of the needle guards to the full line positionin Fig. 16. The dotted lines indicate the old position of the section 30. I

From the above it will be apparent that I have been able to position each looperin a multiple needle machine so as to properly cooperate with a smaller size needle and also change the position of lhe sections of the needle guard so as to properly guide the needle and prevent the same from being defiected'either toward or away from the nor mal needle path. A

In Figs. 10 to 12 inclusive, of the drawings, I have shown a slightly modified form of the invention. tions 29 of the needle guards are adjusted instead of the sections 30. Each section 29,

is carried by a supporting plate 38. The shank of the looper carrier 23 is formed with a fiat face 39 and this plate 38 fits against the said flat face. A screw 40 extends through an elongated slot 41 indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 12 and is'threa-ded into an opening 42 in thelooper carrier- The upper edge of the/plate extends underneath a ledge, 43 on the looper carrier and this ledge tends to guide the plate in its lateral movements. "When .the screw 40 is released the plate 38 may be shifted laterally and "the sections'29 given a new position relative to the looper and also relative to the needle. i

In the present form of the invention, when a. smaller needle is placed in the machine the looper carrier is shifted toward the needle and again clamped to the looper supporting shaft. This movement of the. looper carrier brings the looper point in proper cooperation with thesma'ller needle and brings the section 30 of the needle guard into proper relation with the needle. The plate 88 is thenshifted in the opposite direction which. brings the section 29 of the needle guard into proper relation with the needle.

InFigs. 13 and 14: I have shown a still further modified form. o f the invention. In

35 these )zisws I have shown a single looper In this figure the dotted line indi- In these figures the secand a single multiple needle guard therefor.

The needle-guard is made integral with the looper ca'rrier'which, is indicated at 23. The section 29 has a relatively thick shank portion ll, while the section 30,is of substan- 7 0 tially the same thickness th ou'ghout. A screw 45 extends through the section 30 and is threaded into the shank Hmu'rying the section 29. By turningv this sci-cw the section 30 may be moved toward or from'the 76 section 29, the metal yielding to permit this adjustment of the parts. This multiple needle guard may be adjusted to properly coiiperate with a needle of anydiameter. in

the manner described in connectibn with80 Figs. 1 to 9.

It is obvious that minor changes in the (le tails of construction may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is'; 1

1. A needle guard for sewing machines,

including a support, spaced needle guarding sections carried by the support, and means for adjusting one of said sections toward and from the other and for 110 ding the same in fixed position relative thereto. 1

2. The combination of a plurality of needles and a multiple needle guard for theneedles including spaced needle guarding sections disposed on opposite sides of each needle, means whereby the needle guarding sections at the-same side of each needle may tion s, .said needle guard havingone section thereof on the'same side of the needle as the looper and the other section on the opposite side of the needle, and means for adjusting said sections relative to each other.

4. The combination of a needle, a looper carrier, a. looper mounted in said carrier and cooperating with saidneedle, .a multiple needle guard for the needle mounted on said looper carrier and including spaced sections,

said needle guard having one section thereof:

onthe same side of the needle as the looper and the other section on the opposite side of the needle, and means whereby one of said sections may be shifted bodily on'the looper carrier relative tothelooper. I 5. A sewing machineincluding in combi-' nation, a plurality of spaced needles a loopercarrier, aplurality of looper-s mounte'd thereon one for each needle, 9. multiple needle guard for eachneed-le including sepa- 3. The combinationof aneedle, a looper 105 and rate sets of needle-guarding sections, each needle-guarding set belng dlsposed so that v each section thereof is on the same side of its respective"needle as the looper cooperating with said needle and each section of the other needle-guarding set is on the opposite side of its respective needle, and means whereby one set of sections of the needle guard may be simultaneously adjusted toward and from the sections of the other set 6. A sewing machine including in combination, a plurality of spaced needles, a looper carrier, a plurality of loopers mounted thereon one for each needle, a multiple needle guard for each needle including separate sets of needle-guardingsections, eaclt needle-guarding set being disposed so thztt each section thereof is on the same side of its respective needle as the looper cooperating with said needle and each section'of the the sections of the other set, a supporting plate for the adjustable sections, a serew for slnittlng said supporting plate, and means for clamp ng said supporting plate in an adusting position.

In testimony whereof I my signature in the presence of two W tnesses.

JAMES R. MOFFATT.

Witnesses S. GEORGE TATE, A. F. BREDSHALLJ 

